In a blow-out real estate market, Tom Lyon, John Wolff, and Matt Cohn took a stand. The city’s housing authority was already offering low-cost rental units, but the trio—who had formed the nonprofit Affordable Housing Alliance more than a decade earlier—wanted economical, single-family housing within the reach of longtime Boulder residents who desired to buy a home but lacked the means.

Their groundbreaking, wonderfully simple solution involved thoughtful, high-density cottage-community design—14 freestanding units on 1.4 acres, all facing a central common. To keep construction costs down, potential homeowners put in hundreds of hours of labor, building their homes and their neighbors’ homes as well. John and Tom, partners in Boudler-based Wolff Lyon Architects, designed Poplar and collaborated with its future residents.

It worked, but perhaps the best result is the feeling of unity. “You get to know people when you work closely with them,” Tom says. “That builds community.”

Lessons from The Poplar Community
Camaraderie among homeowners instills a sense of community, but good design can also help. Poplar homes are small, yet each front door opens to a park. “You can meet and talk to your neighbors,” says Tom, “and that’s usually a good thing.”